Collapsible rim



o. H. BAHTHoLoMEw.

COLLAPSIBLE RIM.-

' APPUCATION FILED NOV. @2, 1919. 1,372,794, Patented Mar. 29,1921.

. 4 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

0. H. BARTHOLOMEW.

COLLAPSIBL'E RIM.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. l2. 1919.

Patented Mar. 29, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

IPATENT OFFICE.

i. ommen. H. BARTHOLOMEW, or rEonIA, ILLINOIS.

coLLAPsIBLE RIM.

Specicaton of Letters Patent. Patented Ian 29, 1921.

' Applicationy led November 12, 1919. Serial No. 337,384.

To all whom 'it may concer/n.: l Beit known that I, OHMER H. BARTHOLO- iMEW, a citizen of the United States, `residing at Peoria, inthe countyof Peoria and State of Illinois, have invented certain new .and usefulImprovements in Collapsible Rims, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to an improved collapsible wheel rim for motorvehicles' and has as one of its principal objects to provide a rim whichwill rigidly support ay tire thereon butwherein the tire may be placedupon or removed from the rim without difficulty.

The invention has as a further object to provide a rim employinghingedlyconnected y pivoted rim sections movable inwardly for collapsing the rimand wherein said rim sections will provide a toggle operable for againexpanding the rim.

And the invention has as a still further object to'provide a hingeconnection between certain of the rim sections of such nature that,`when the rim is expanded, the pivot pins of said connections willberelieved of expansive as well as compressive strain upon the rim.

Other and incidental objects will appear Y hereinafter. In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing my improvedrim collapsed, f, I

Fig., 2 is a fragmentaryA perspective view showing the type of hingeconnection employed between certain of the rim sections, Fig. 3 is atransverse section takenr on the line 3-3 of Fig-2, j n

' Fig. 4 isV a fragmentary longitudinali s ection taken on the line 4-4of Fig.'2,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation of said hinge connection, Y

Fig. 6 is an enlargedV fragmentary side elevation particularlyillustrating the hinge connection'between the toggle lforming sectionsvof the rim,

Fig. 7 is afragmentary plan view of the hinge connection between thetoggle forming Vsections of the rim, and Y Fig. Sis an enlargedtransverse section on ythe linefS-LS of 1`|`ig.7.v V 4 j In carrying theinvention into effect, I employ a rim body which is formed of coact-Ving sections lO-and 11 respectively, and hingedly connected to thesesections are rimV vsections 12 and 13. The'several sections of 'the rimare, of course, designed to mate to form the complete rim and,as-particularly 'illustrated in Fig." 3, the rim is of the clenchertype, being provided with side i flanges 14 preferably standing atsubstantially right angles to the rim base. Pressedy inwardly from therim base isan annular channel 15 and seating in said channel is a liner16 which may be of canvas or other approved material, the liner beingdesigned to prevent sticking of an inner tube to the base of the rim.The rim may, if desired, be formed with straight sides.

.Connecting the sections 10 and 11 of the rim body is a hinge plate 17and connecting the section 12 of the rim to the adjacent end Vof thesection 10 is a similar plate 18. As particularly illustrated in Figs. 2to -5inclu sive of the drawings, these Vplates are formed at their endswith bearings 19 freely received in suitable slots in the adjacent rimsections and extending through said bearings are pivot pins 20 the endportions of which are directed laterallythrough the base portions ofsaid sections andare then headed or overturned to be lsecured-thereto.The pivot pinsare preferably of brass so'as to eliminate rusting thereofand mounted upon said pivot pins at the ends of the bearings 19 arewashers'21 which, for a similar reason are also preferably of brass.Thus, it will be seen that the plate 17 will connect the sections 10 and11 of the rim body to freel swing upon each other while the plate 18 wil support the section 12 for free swinging movement upon the section 10.At their side margins the hinge plates are slit longitudinally to definelaterally extending wings 22 andthe end portions of these wings are bentoutwardly at substantially right angles to provide pairs of confrontingradially directed lugs 23. Formed in the rim base adjacent the jointbetween the sections 10 and 11 as well as adjacent the joint between thesections 10 and 12, are pairs of openings 241 adapted to freely receivesaid lugs. Thus, when the sections 10, 11 and 12 are swung to conform tothe annular contour of the rim, the lugs 23 will move to engage withinsaid openings for rigidly connecting these sections of the rim andrelieving the pivot pins 20 of either compressive or expansive strainupon the rim. f

Secured to the inner facek of the rim base at the confronting ends ofthe sections 11 and 13 of the rim are, as particularly shown in Fig. 7,hinge plates 25 provided with mating hinge lugs 26. Engaged throughthese hinge lugs is, as particularly shown in Fig.

8, a pivot pin 27. rllhis pivot pin is preferably of brass so as toprevent Vrusting and interposed between adjacent lugs upon they pin arewashers 28 also preferably oi' brass. The section 13 of the rim willthus be connected to the section 11,*to freely swing thereon. RigidlyAconnected at corresponding end portions thereof to the side fianges ofthe section 12 of the rim are coupling plates 29 which may be riveted orotherwise secured to said flanges and pivotally connecting the adjacentend portion of the rim section 13 with the projecting end `portions ofsaid plates are pivot studs 30 freely engaging through the plates andthe side tlanges of the latterrim section. The meeting ends of therimsections 12 and 13 are formed with mating beveled edges and riveted orotherwise secured against the inner face of. the

base portion of the rim section v13 is an operating arm 31. This arm iscurved longitudinally to conform to the curvature of the rim and, at itsfree end portion is adapted to lie flat against the inner face of thebase of the rim section 12, extending across the joint between thesections 12 and 13.

As will now be clear in view of the pre- Y ceding description, asuitable tool may be inserted beneath the 'free end portion of the arm31 and inward prying force exerted upon the arm for swinging the arminwardly. Inward swinging ot the arm will, of course, result in swingingthe rim section 13 inwardly upon the section 11 whenthe several sectionsoi? the riin will move to the position illustrated in Fig. 1 forcollapsing the rim. is will be appreciated, a tire may then be readilyremoved from oi pla-ced upon the rim. After a' tire has been positionedabout the rim, the operating arm V31 may then be grasped andthe section13 again swung outwardly for expanding the rim when the several sectionsof the rim will assume the positionsuggested in Fig. 6. In thisconnection it will be seen that the rim sections 12 and 13 will when therim section 13 is thus swung inwardly, coact to form a toggle operableto expand the rim so that eXpansionof the rim may thus be electedwithrelative ease. llien theirini is so expanded and is placed upon a wheel,as also suggestedin this figure, it will be noted that the operating arm31 will lie betvi'feen the rim and the wheel'ielly so that the rimsection 13 willaccordingly be locked against accidental inwarddisplacement. Collapsing of therini will; thus be prevented.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is: y Y

1. A collapsible wheel rim including a split rim. body, coactingpivotally connected rim sections normally completing the annular contourof the rim and movable iiiwardly for collapsing the rim, means pivotallyconnecting one of said sections to one lend of the rim, a plate bridgingthe space be- 'tween the other of said sections and the opposite end ofthorini and hinged at its opposite ends to said section and the rimrespectively, and means Vcarried by said plate 'to engage through therim base at opposite sides ci? the joint between the rim section andadjacent end of the rim body for holdsplit rim body, coacting pivotallyconnected rim sections normally completing the annular contour of therim and movable inwardly for collapsing the rim, means pivotallyconnecting one of said sections to one end of the rim, a plate bridgingthe joint between the otherof said sections and the opposite end oi therim and hinged at its opposite ends tothe latter section andthe rimrespectively, and lugs carried-by said plate to engagethrough the rimbase at opposite sides of the joint between the latter sectionl andadjacent end of the rim body for holdingl the latter rim section againstendwise movement relative to the rim body. A- collapsible wheel rimincluding a split rim body, coacting pivotally connected rim sectionsnormally completing the annular contour of the rim and movable intoposition for collapsing the rim, means hingedly connecting one of saidsections with one end of theV rim body, a hinge plate, and pivot pinsextending through said hinge plate and having their end portionsdirected outwardly through the rim base for securing the hinge plate toAthe other of the rim sections andthe opposite end of the rini body andpivotally connecting the latter rim section with 'the rim body.

a. A collapsible wheel rim including a split rim body, coactingpivotally-connected rim sections normally completing the annular contourof the rim and movable inwardly Ator collapsing the rim, .means hingedlyconnecting one of said sections with one end of the` rim body, and ahinge plate hingedly connecting the other of said sections with theopposite end of the rimbody and provided with lateral wings havingoutstanding lugsv engageable through the-rim base at opposite sides ofthe joint between the latter rim section and adjacent end of the rimbody for holding the latter rim section against endwise movementrelative to the rim body.

5. A collapsible wheel rim including a sectional riin body, a hingeplate swingigingly connecting the sections of the rim body and providedwithV means engageable through the rim base at opposite sidesof thejoint between said sections for holding the sections against endwisemovement, coaoting pivotally connected rim sections 4normally completingthe annular contour of the rim and movable inwardly for collapsing thesides of the joint between the other of said rim, means hingedlyconnecting one of the last mentioned rim sections and the other of 10latter sections with one of the rim body secthe rim body sections forholding the other tions, and a hinge plate swingingly connectof saidlast mentioned rim sections against ing the other of the latter sectionswith the endwise movement relative to the other of other of the rim bodysections, said last the rim body sections. Y

mentioned plate being provided with means In testimony whereof I affixmy signature. 15 engageable through the rim base at opposite A OHMER H.BARTHOLOMEW. [n 5.]

